Toxic Waste Stored In An Abandoned Mine In France Highlights A Global Problem - CleanTechnica

The article discusses the long-term environmental risks posed by toxic waste stored in the abandoned Stocamine potash mine near Wittlesheim in the Alsace region of France. Historically, the mine was a major employer until its closure in the early 1990s. In 1997, the mine’s extensive underground vaults were repurposed as a temporary storage site for industrial toxic waste, including heavy metals like mercury and arsenic, as well as cyanide. This decision was initially presented as a safe, environmentally friendly solution and a way to provide jobs for unemployed miners. However, the promised technological advances to treat or recycle the waste never materialized, leaving the hazardous materials stored indefinitely underground. The situation is particularly concerning because the mine lies beneath the Alsace aquifer, which feeds into the Upper Rhine aquifer supplying drinking water to millions across France, Switzerland, and Germany. The geological instability of abandoned mines, exacerbated by land subsidence and climate change effects such as soil drying and shrinking